To The Law And To The Testimony

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To the Law and to the Testimony

The gospel of Jesus Christ is not complicated, and the things we need to know and understand for our salvation are also not complicated.

Christ reached the people where they were. He presented the plain truth to their minds in the most forcible, simple language. The humble poor, the most unlearned, could comprehend, through faith in Him, the most exalted truths. NO ONE NEEDED TO CONSULT THE LEARNED DOCTORS AS TO HIS MEANING. He did not perplex the ignorant with mysterious inferences or use unaccustomed and learned words, of which they had no knowledge. The greatest Teacher the world has ever known, was the most definite, SIMPLE, AND PRACTICAL in His instruction. (Gospel Workers, 49, 50, Ellen G. White)

I was shown that the truth once published now, will stand, for it is the truth for the last days; it will live, and less need be said upon it in future. Numberless words need not be put upon paper to justify what speaks for itself and shines in its clearness. TRUTH IS STRAIGHT, PLAIN, CLEAR, AND STANDS OUT BOLDLY IN ITS OWN DEFENSE; BUT IT IS NOT SO WITH ERROR. IT IS SO WINDING AND TWISTING THAT IT NEEDS A MULTITUDE OF WORDS TO EXPLAIN IT IN ITS CROOKED FORM... (Early Writings, 96.1, Ellen G. White)

The things we need to know and understand for our salvation are not ambiguous or shrouded in mystery. It is vital for you to understand the preceding two statements and retain them in your mind, because when we get to the latter pages of this site you will see that some of the things that are being taught as being true today, were believed to be false by our pioneers and Ellen White. If they were false doctrines during the pioneer's days, they are just as false today.

The Weapon That Will Destroy All False Doctrine

TO THE LAW AND TO THE TESTIMONY:
if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. (Isaiah 8:20)

Isaiah 8:20 is the definitive Bible passage to test all doctrine and philosophy to see if it is genuine or counterfeit. If a doctrine/philosophy is not in harmony with both the law and the testimony, it is false and needs to be rejected outright.

"(Isaiah 8:20 quoted) The people of God are directed to the Scriptures as their safeguard against the influence of false teachers and the delusive power of spirits of darkness... ...SO CLOSELY WILL THE COUNTERFEIT RESEMBLE THE TRUE THAT IT WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THEM EXCEPT BY THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. BY THEIR TESTIMONY EVERY STATEMENT AND EVERY MIRACLE MUST BE TESTED. (The Great Controversy, pg. 593.1, Ellen G. White)

Brothers and sisters, if eternal life is one of your priorities, the above warning ought to shock us into reality and show us just how fragile and susceptible we are to being seduced and deceived. If agonizing prayer and earnest Bible study are not on top of your priority list, it will be impossible for you to distinguish between the counterfeit and the truth.

The Spirit was not given—nor can it ever be bestowed—to supersede the Bible; for the Scriptures explicitly state that the Word of God is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested. . . . Isaiah declares, "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." (Isaiah 8:20) (The Great Controversy, Introduction, p. vii) (3SM 30.5, Ellen G. White)

There will be false dreams and false visions, which have some truth, BUT LEAD AWAY FROM THE ORIGINAL FAITH. THE LORD HAS GIVEN MEN A RULE BY WHICH TO DETECT THEM: "TO THE LAW AND TO THE TESTIMONY: IF THEY SPEAK NOT ACCORDING TO THIS WORD, IT IS BECAUSE THERE IS NO LIGHT IN THEM." (Isaiah 8:20). (Maranatha 192.5, Ellen G. White)

As we can see, Mrs. White equates the Law and Testimony to the Scriptures. From the Seventh‑day Adventist Bible Commentary we read...

Isaiah 8:20; The law. Heb. torah, denoting all the revealed will of God, the inspired writings of Scripture, particularly those of Moses... (see on Num. 19:14; Deut. 4:44; 30:10; 31:9; Prov. 3:1; see Volume I, pp. 37, 38). (The Seventh‑day Adventist Bible Commentary, Volume 4, pg. 144) (emphasis supplied)

The law and the testimony encompasses all the revealed will of God—the whole Bible. Since God used Ellen White to illuminate the Bible, the testimony part of Isaiah 8:20 also includes her writings.

The Lord has sent His people much instruction, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little. Little heed is given to the Bible, AND THE LORD HAS GIVEN A LESSER LIGHT TO LEAD MEN AND WOMEN TO THE GREATER LIGHT. Oh, how much good would be accomplished if the books containing this light were read with a determination to carry out the principles they contain! There would be a thousandfold greater vigilance, a thousandfold more self-denial and resolute effort. And many more would now be rejoicing in the light of present truth. (Ye Shall Receive Power, 232.4, Ellen G. White)

Just because Mrs. White's writings are the lesser of the two lights, does not mean she was a lesser prophet. She was inspired by the same Holy Spirit that inspired the Bible writers, and light is light. But instead of establishing Bible doctrine, her primary mission (among other things) was to clarify what has already been written. Her writings can be viewed as an inspired Bible commentary.

How To Apply The Law And Testimony

Isaiah does not leave us in the dark as how to apply the Law and Testimony. Isaiah 28:9, 10 reads...

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, [preachers] and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: (Isaiah 28:9, 10)

These two verses tell us that in order to understand the Bible, we must study it by precepts, subjects, topics or doctrines. Pick a topic/precept, then go through the whole Bible, pull together every verse you can find that is related to that subject, "line upon line; here a little, and there a little," study them as a unit, then draw your conclusion.

If your conclusion is correct, all the verses will harmonize with each other. They will also harmonize with all the other Bible doctrines. If they don't do this, you have come to a wrong conclusion and need to reevaluate. This is the method God has ordained whereby we can find all truth, and at the same time, avoid all error.

It may appear to be a daunting task to thoroughly compare every Bible precept/doctrine in the whole Bible to see if it is true or false, but in the following pages I am going to explain four eternal principles (there could be more) that are subsets of Isaiah 8:20, that will "cut to the chase." The first principle comes under the heading "To the Law." The other three come under the heading "To the Testimony." Here is an outline of them.

A. To the Law

1. The Ten Commandments

B. To the Testimony

2. The Firm Foundation of our Faith

3. The New Covenant

4. The Origin of a Doctrine

Every true Bible doctrine has its own unique theology that can be used to prove its own validity, but, the above four principles can be used to prove or disprove any and all doctrines, philosophies and teachings that are relevant to our salvation.

The four principles may, or may not detect false teachings that are not salvation issues⁠—⁠things such as historical events or the interpretation of prophecy. But if a philosophy, teaching or historical event is not a salvation issue, it is probably not something we need to be too concerned about.

Be assured, the four principles will catch every false teaching, philosophy or doctrine that has anything to do with our salvation. The reason they will is because everything that is relevant to our salvation involves keeping the Commandments of God, and that is what the Law and the Testimony are all about.

If a doctrine or teaching passes the test with one of these four principles, it will pass the test with all. Conversely, if it fails the test with one, it will fail the test with all. Isaiah 8:20 says "To the Law and to the Testimony." It does not say "To the Law or to the Testimony." Perhaps you are beginning to see how simple this can be.

You will never find the truth by studying a counterfeit⁠—⁠never. If a person is teaching error by omitting facts that will completely change the conclusions reached, (which is the most illusive of all false teachings), how can you detect an omission if you don't first know the truth? A counterfeit can only be detected by first knowing the truth, then comparing the counterfeit to the genuine.

The United States Department of Revenue trains its agents to detect counterfeit bills, not by studying the counterfeits, but by studying the genuine. They will take a $100 bill for example, and study it over and over under a magnifying glass until they know every detail of it. Then when a counterfeit is laid in front of them, they can spot it immediately.

In order to detect counterfeit doctrine or philosophy we must use the same method. If we want to protect ourselves from the false, we first have to personally know the truth. We must use the method God has ordained—the magnifying glass of the Law and the Testimony. If you take advice from anyone⁠—⁠Seventh‑day Adventist preachers included⁠—⁠without personally verifying everything they say with the inspired writers, you are setting yourself up for a big fall.

Everyone has holes in their theology—everyone. No human is infallible! Not even the most knowledgeable Bible scholar understands all the revealed will of God. Therefore, it is impossible for him/her to convey something they do not know or understand. And the things that are omitted, even if they are honest omissions, could have eternal consequences. Omissions can only be detected by first knowing the truth as revealed in the Bible and the writings of Ellen G. White.

There is an account in the book of Acts that admonishes each of us to test every teaching for ourselves...

And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. (Acts 17:10-12)

The Bereans believed what Paul and Silas taught, but only because they used Scripture to verify everything they said. And there is no account that Paul or Silas were offended. In fact, Paul even commended them for doing so. Paul is the one who encourages everyone to... "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21) For our own wellbeing, this is the only safe course we can take. The reason error is sometimes very hard to detect is because Satan has mingled it with much truth.

Error Riding The Back Of Truth

SATAN HAS WROUGHT WITH DECEIVING POWER, BRINGING IN A MULTIPLICITY OF ERRORS THAT OBSCURE THE TRUTH. ERROR CANNOT STAND ALONE, AND WOULD SOON BECOME EXTINCT IF IT DID NOT FASTEN ITSELF LIKE A PARASITE UPON THE TREE OF TRUTH. ERROR DRAWS ITS LIFE FROM THE TRUTH OF GOD. The traditions of men, like floating germs, attach themselves to the truth of God, and men regard them as a part of the truth. Through false doctrines, Satan gains a foothold, and captivates the minds of men, causing them to hold theories that have no foundation in truth. Men boldly teach for doctrines the commandments of men; and as traditions pass on, from age to age, they acquire a power over human mind. But age does not make error truth, neither does its burdensome weight cause the plant of truth to become a parasite. The tree of truth bears its own genuine fruit, showing its true origin and nature. The parasite of error also bears its own fruit, and makes manifest that its character is diverse from the plant of heavenly origin. (Evangelism 589.1, Ellen G. White)

"Error draws its life from the truth of god." The more truth that error is attached to, the harder it is to detect.

Jesus came to separate the truth from the chaff of man's misunderstanding. Basically what we are trying to do by using the four eternal principles is to strip the parasites of error away from the tree of truth. Thus, leaving the pure truth intact, while trashing the error. It is extremely important to understand this concept, because when separating error from truth, we do not want to inadvertently discard any of the truth along with the error.

Venturing Into A Minefield

Suppose you take 1000 steps into a minefield and are only one step away from getting out when you step on a mine⁠—⁠you are going to get blown up. The mainstream Adventist media today is like venturing into a minefield. Why is it like a minefield? Because the vast majority of it is true! Exactly the way God's prophets have predicted. Just like the minefield, one paragraph of error mingled with 1,000 paragraphs of truth can be deadly.

This being the case, why do so many Adventists place unrestricted trust in the opinions of uninspired doctors, PhDs and preachers when they have the privilege of going directly to those who have been inspired by God himself—the Bible writers and Ellen White.

If you are looking for inspired answers, you must go to the inspired writers. Whenever you go to the uninspired middlemen looking for Bible answers, without verifying every word they say from the inspired writers, you are gambling with eternity.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalms 119:105)

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. (Proverbs 30:5)

Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. (Psalms 40:4)

Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. (Jeremiah 17:5)

But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. (1 Peter 1:25)

The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. (Psalm 119:130)

Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. (James 1:21)

BUT EVERY BUILDING ERECTED ON OTHER FOUNDATION THAN GOD'S WORD WILL FALL. He who, like the Jews in Christ's day, builds on the foundation of human ideas and opinions, of forms and ceremonies of man's invention, or on any works that he can do independently of the grace of Christ, is erecting his structure of character upon the shifting sand. The fierce tempests of temptation will sweep away the sandy foundation and leave his house a wreck on the shores of time. (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, pg. 150.3, Ellen G. White)

Warning

In the last days of earth's history God will be working miracles for His people. But the Devil will also be working miracles for his people, many being in the Seventh‑day Adventist Church. So, how can we tell which miracles are genuine and which ones are false? The Bible gives only one test⁠—⁠"To the Law and to the Testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is NO light in them."

Miracles are not, and never will be a test of someone's fidelity to God and His truth. There are some highly visible and popular Seventh‑day Adventist preachers that use miracles, I assume to give their ministry credibility, but yet, all those I have researched are teaching and promoting the deadly omega heresy. As Isaiah says... "There is NO light in them."

It is impossible to give any idea of the experience of the people of God who will be alive on the earth when past woes and celestial glory will be blended. They will walk in the light proceeding from the throne of God. By the means of the angels there will be constant communication between heaven and earth. And Satan, surrounded by evil angels, and claiming to be God, will work miracles of all kinds to deceive, if possible, the very elect. GOD'S PEOPLE WILL NOT FIND THEIR SAFETY IN WORKING MIRACLES, FOR SATAN WOULD COUNTERFEIT ANY MIRACLE THAT MIGHT BE WORKED. God's tried and tested people will find their power in the sign spoken of in Exodus 31:12-18. THEY ARE TO TAKE THEIR STAND ON THE LIVING WORD--"IT IS WRITTEN." THIS IS THE ONLY FOUNDATION UPON WHICH THEY CAN STAND SECURELY. Those who have broken their covenant with God will in that day be without hope and without God in the world. (Selected Messages, Book 2 pg. 54.5)

...John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man [Jesus] were true... ...For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist... (John 10:41; Luke 7:28)

To the Law and to the Testimony:

if they speak not according to this word

it is because there is NO light in them

(Isaiah 8:20)

How to detect error

without venturing into a minefield

Table of Contents

Omega!